Thermal printer with sheet pressure means

Abstract

A pack (12) of thermal-sensitive sheets, which comprises a stack of sheets (77) bearing each a thermal-sensitive layer on one sheet side, a protective foil (79) in contact with the thermal-sensitive layer of the outermost sheet of the stack, and a rupturable strap (78) encircling the stack of sheets and the protective foil, and attached to such foil by means of a rupturable seal (83).

We claim: 
     
       1. A method for loading a stack of sheets, each of the sheets bearing an image-forming layer, in an apparatus which is arranged for image-wise exposing such sheets one by one, which comprises loading the stack of sheets in the apparatus by first forwarding the stack to a first position according to a downwardly directed motion which is tilted outwardly of the apparatus, preventing the sheets from moving mutually during such downward motion by holding them together by means of an encircling band, removing the encircling band from the stack of sheets while the stack is in the first position, and next pivoting the stack of sheets inwardly of the apparatus to a second position which is tilted oppositely to the first position whereby the bottom and top sides of the stack become reversed. 
     
     
       2. Method according to claim 1, comprising loading the sheets by letting them slide outwardly from a wrapping bag. 
     
     
       3. Method according to claim 1, comprising protecting the top of the sheet stack during loading by means of a protective foil, such foil becoming a bottom foil after the loading.